For the Ultimate Pairing Drabble Comp – Neville/Hannah with the prompt calling.
.
"Are you sure about this?" Neville asks nervously, twisting his hands. "Because you don't have –" He's cut off by a pair of hands halting his own. He looks up, meeting the brown eyes of his wife.
"I know I don't have to do anything, Neville. But this…I want to do this," she says. Motioning towards the door, she continues on. "She's your mother, and my in-law. I should meet her at least once."
Neville looks at the door and back at Hannah. She's wearing a soft smile; she's always been far too kind but that's what caused Neville to fall in love with her in the first place. He sees the determination written on her face, and he knows that she can handle seeing his parents.
He laces his hands with hers. "Alright. But if it gets to be too much, just let me know. It's hard seeing people like this, and I don't mean just for me because she's my mother. Some of the Healers have difficulty seeing her like this."
She nods. And the first thing she notices when Neville opens the door is a woman with snow white hair looking up at the ceiling. She was beautiful once, Hannah muses. Neville slips past her and takes the seat next to her bed. Summoning another one, he motions for Hannah to sit. He grabs ahold of a pale hand.
"Mother," he says, but to Hannah, it sounds more like he's trying to call her back down to earth. "It's me: Neville."
The woman turns her head, looking for the source of the voice. When she looks at Neville, Hannah is nearly heartbroken by the way that his mother looks emptily at him. But she watches as he never weavers, watches as he talks to her, as he introduces his mother to her. Hannah, though, can tell that his mother will never remember her.
Together, they sit there and Neville talks, never running out of things to tell his mother. It takes a while, but the Healers finally ask them to leave. Hannah slides her hand into his and squeezes. He glances up and gives her a brief smile.
"Today was one of her better days," he tells her. "She didn't remember me, but that means she didn't remember the attack either. And that's what really matters." But his voice breaks on the last sentence, and Hannah can tell that he's far more upset than he's showing but he's pretending to be brave.
She stops, halting his movements as well. She wraps her arms around him. "I finally understand how hard this is for you," she whispers in his ear. "So you don't have to be brave for me."
He kisses her softly. "I know, love."
Later, when he thinks she's asleep, he lets everything go. His shoulders shake with the force of his sobs. He freezes when she wraps her arms around him. "I told you: you don't have to be brave for me."
And Neville's never been more grateful for Hannah.